Jaffa - The Orange's Clockwork

Everybody knows the Jaffa orange. For decades, it has been universally known for being tasty as well as healthy. Stars such as Ingrid Bergman and Louis Armstrong posed for it – the „Jaffa“ brand was the Coca-Cola of fruit juices. Until the early 20th century, the port city of Jaffa, which today forms a part of the municipality of Tel Aviv, was one of the most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities in the Middle East on a cultural, economic and political level. For centuries, oranges were cultivated in the surrounding countryside while the harbour ensured the export of the Palestinian Jaffa oranges. Eyal Sivan traces the brand's history through the use of uniquely composed archive material, showing old photographs, paintings, early footage and commercials as well as promotional and political posters to Israeli and Palestinian intellectuals and citrus industry workers. Drawing on the example of the famous fruit, they reminisce, reflect and analyse both their personal history and that of their country beyond any nationalistic historiography.

Eyal Sivan

Eyal Sivan is a documentary filmmaker and author, currently co-leading the MA programme in Film, Video and New Media at the University of East London (UEL) School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Born in Haifa in Northern Israel, he grew up in Jerusalem. After working as a professional fashion photographer in Tel Aviv, he left Israel for Paris in 1985 and has been dividing his time between Europe and Israel ever since. He has directed more than ten political documentaries and produced numerous others. His films have been screened and won awards at a large number of international festivals.